Flood waters start to recede in Independence

The community of Independence is watching river levels closely as waters begin to recede.

For the past few days, the Wapsi river has crept in, swallowing trees, benches and making its way into backyards.

The Whites, who live along the Wapsi River in Independence, were scared to learn they might see a second flood in just one year.

"Panic, deja vu all over again from last September when we had it go up to about 19.65 feet," said Gary White.

White says he remembers it like it was yesterday. Fortunately this time, the water did not make it up as high in their backyard as it did last fall.

"Well right now it's kind of stabilized, they said there was going to be a surge for a while and then it was going to back down again so I'm crossing my fingers and hope someone knows what they're talking about," said White.

Because of rain expected in the forecast over the next few days, people in Independence aren't resting easy quite yet.

Authorities are still asking people to take caution and stay out of flood waters in areas of Veterans park. The city has also taped off the Wapsi river with caution tape in some areas for added precaution.

The Wapsi Mill museum, which sits along the river, has seen its fair share of flooding over the years. This time, no exception, water from the Wapsi River was spewing out of the basement windows closest to the dam.

On the other side of the river, sits Crawford engineering who's also seen significant flooding over the years. This time around, the water only reached the end of their driveway. Engineer Dan Crawford says the flooding might get a bit worse before it gets better.

"The Crane Creek water from the area around Dunkerton, I think is entering the Wapsi here at Independence now, and we may see the river stage rise slightly over the next several hours," said Crawford.